


Fire Lord Training

by PhoenixPaladin



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Humor, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6706018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixPaladin/pseuds/PhoenixPaladin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sire!Azula and family fluff set in the A Slight Miscalculation universe. Thanks to Rae D Magdon for letting me borrow her OCs and world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Izumi's First Heat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaeDMagdon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Slight Miscalculation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4547340) by [RaeDMagdon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon). 



> **AN:** I’m going with the assumption that an Omega’s first heat is like a girl’s fist menstrual period… where the symptoms are a lot lighter and their cravings aren’t as intense. Mainly so I don’t need to venture into creeper territory without aging Izumi up. :(

Twin jets of swirling flames collided in a brilliant display of smoke and ash. Izumi stumbled backwards, her footing shaken by the aftershocks of the explosion. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she panted for breath. It was foolish for her to try and take Zha Xi head on but the restlessness she’d felt all day demanded an outlet. Still, it wasn’t enough to overpower the Alpha and she had to retreat to the far edges of the arena.

Zha Xi didn’t give chase despite having the advantage. She stayed safely at the center of the ring and waited for her sister’s next move. Ranged combat, supplemented by powerful firebending, was her expertise. Izumi took more after their mother, adopting a more agile style of martial arts while using her firebending in small but accurate bursts.

Izumi’s eyes darted around the sparring arena, looking for anything she could use as an advantage. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. The royal training grounds sat on the ground level of the courtyard. High walls surrounded all sides with only benches and weapon racks scattered around the edges of the enclosure. They had sparred in this stadium hundreds of times as part of their combat training. Fire Lord Azula expected nothing less than the peak of physical perfection from her heirs.

The sound of giggling and quiet whispers caught Izumi’s attention. From above in the balcony, two servant girls, a tall Beta and a smaller Omega, were busy dusting the banister. She recognized the omega as the servant that frequently brought fresh laundry to their rooms. Her lips curled into a smirk now that she had a plan.

When she was sure that she had Zha Xi’s attention, Izumi looked up at the servants and winked. A fresh round of giggles ensued and Zha Xi followed her sister’s gaze.

“Let’s give them a good show, shall we?” Izumi saw her sister’s stance slacken. She knew that the Alpha wouldn’t be able to keep her composure in the presence of their audience and it certainly wasn’t above her to exploit that weakness.

Before Zha Xi could switch to a defensive stance, her opponent had already charged dangerously close. She raised her arms defensively and swirled them in a semicircle motion. Trails of fire erupted from her palms and followed their path, forming a flaming shield in front of her. Unfortunately, the flaming circle also prevented her from keeping an eye on Izumi.

A body-shaped blur streaked above Zha Xi’s head, a jet of flame boosting it faster over the stunned Alpha. _Tap… Tap Tap._ Izumi could see her sister’s muscles weaken and the familiar droop of paralysis take over her left arm.

_Riiiip_. Zha Xi’s eyes widened and her good arm reflexively grabbed at her chest bindings. She cursed under her breath and tried to prevent the strips of cloth from unwinding further. “That was a cheap shot. Even by your standards.”

Izumi only shrugged then readjusted her glasses in her usual calm demeanor. “You should’ve thought of that before taking off your shirt. Besides, the girls watching us are the laundry maids. They’ve cleaned your dirty underwear… I’m sure they’ve seen much more embarrassing things than you topless.” Izumi paused to give her sister a chance to reply. When none came, she turned on her heels, heading for the stairs. "I’m going to make sure our audience enjoyed the show. Feel free to join us when you’re in a more presentable state.”

* * *

Zha Xi could only glare after her sister; the blush of embarrassment burned into her cheeks.  With only one good arm, she couldn’t possibly fix her chest bindings on her own so she slumped into the nearby bench to wait out the paralysis.

Izumi had reached the top of the stairs by the time Zha Xi looked up again. The Omega’s arms were curled around one of the Beta’s while she leaned into the other servant’s side. Even from the arena, Zha Xi could see her sister’s flushed cheeks and strands of sweat matted hair. It was unlike Izumi to look so disheveled after a workout; even more strange to see her flustered while wooing the servants.

The Alpha bristled as she watched her sister lean in and kiss the other Omega on the cheek. It was a chaste, albeit flirty, act but a strong sense of protectiveness still washed over her.

Zha Xi tried to flex the muscles in her arm and felt her fingers twitch. Clumsily, she managed to wrap the loose bindings twice around her torso before securing it. After making sure that nothing else would come undone, she bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time in her rush.

Zha Xi’s chi blazed with hostility as she approached the trio. Before even making it to the balcony, she could hear the servants excusing themselves and making a hasty exit.

“You don’t need to be jealous, Zhazha.” Izumi only used Zha Xi’s childhood nickname to get under her skin. “She was saying that you look cute.”

“I’m not jealous.” Zha Xi’s voice was low, almost a growl. Part of her was annoyed enough with her sister to want to walk away but the other part, her inner Alpha, told her to not let her sister out of her sights. Izumi was manipulative and could sometimes be downright mean but this was off behavior even for her. “Let’s head back to the palace. You don’t look so well.”

Izumi open her mouth to protest but found herself short of breath. “Fine. I do want to clean up. Maybe I’ll have a bath… and have that sweet girl to draw it for me.”

Zha Xi clenched her jaw in annoyance, she was in no mood to play Izumi’s games. Instead, they headed towards the palace in silence.

Every palace guard that they walked by made Zha Xi’s hairs stand on end. She could feel the chi of some of the Alphas brushing against hers as they passed. Her protective instincts blazed even hotter and she picked up her stride to walk closer to the flushed Omega.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Izumi snapped at her sister’s invasion of her personal space.

Zha Xi mumbled something under her breath but otherwise stayed quiet. Izumi was about to berate her sibling further but thundering footsteps caught the pair’s attention

Fire Lord Azula rounded the corner at such speed that she nearly bumped into the two princesses. Her nostrils flared as she drew a deep breath and the skin around her scar pulled taunt. “Izumi.”

If Zha Xi’s chi was enough to frighten the guards, the Fire Lord’s chi had them visibly shaking. Fortunately for the younger Alpha, her sire’s presence only calmed the primal emotions swirling within her. Izumi, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as impressed.

“Father.” Zha Xi and Izumi bowed in respect.

Azula barely acknowledged the pair before wrapping an arm around Izumi’s shoulder and ushering her back down the hall. Zha Xi could see the tension in her sister’s posture from the turn of events.

The rest of the walk to the royal chambers was uneventful. If she didn’t know better, she would have assumed that the palace was deserted; the usual hustle and bustle of servants was nowhere to be found. The few palace staff they did pass bowed and stayed bowed until they were well out of sight.

The group of royals paused in front of Izumi’s room. Azula held the door ajar just enough for Izumi to slip through. She glanced down the hall one final time, nodded to Zha Xi, then stepping inside, shutting the younger Alpha out.

* * *

Izumi sat on the bed and crossed her legs. She watched her Sire pace back and forth, pausing once in a while to try and say something only to change her mind and start pacing again. Despite her annoyance at the situation, she could feel Azula’s chi’s enveloping her own. It demanded her full obedience and she was powerless to do much else.

She uncrossed then crossed her legs several times before finally giving up. No matter how she sat, she couldn’t get comfortable. To top it off, she could feel sweat pooling in the most uncomfortable of places. That bath really did sound like a good idea at this point.

Azula cleared her throat, trying one more time to speak. “Izumi. There comes a time in every pup’s life when… things change… and not everyone changes the same way… or at the same time. Some will become stronger, like your sister. Betas, won’t see any significant physical changes. And then… well… you… uh…”

Izumi sighed. As interesting as it was to watch the usually confident Fire Lord stammer over her words, this conversation was heading into a direction she did not want to go, especially not with her Sire. “Dad, it’s ok. Mom already covered all that stuff with us like four years ago.”

Azula gave a visible sigh of relief. “Then you know why I’m going to order you to stay in your room for the next few days.”

“What? Why?” Izumi frowned, not quite following how everything related.

“Your heat, Izumi. You may feel in control now but it will get worse. I only picked up on your scent this afternoon. In a few hours your instincts will consume you. Spirits help anyone that tries to enter the palace when it does.” A small flame erupted from Azula’s palm. She watched the flames smolder for a second before clenching her hand into a fist and extinguishing the blaze. “I always knew this day would come. I didn’t think it would be so soon…”

Izumi pursed her lips. It all made sense now. Her restlessness. The unrelenting heat. The allure of the servant girls. Still, she couldn’t imagine staying locked in her room for the next three days. The prospect alone drove her crazy. If an Omega’s heat really did make one crave physical contact, she didn’t want to be isolated through the worst of it.

“Daddy, please don’t make me stay here,” Izumi put on her best pleading look. “Mom never has to be locked away during her heats.”

“I suppose when you’re _older_ with a mate of your own you won’t need to. For now, you will obey the orders of your Fire Lord.”

Izumi could feel the edges of Azula’s chi harden into a solid wall. She knew she couldn’t change her Sire’s mind, but maybe she didn’t have to. With an exasperated huff, she fell backwards and look up at the ceiling. “I heard that the scent of an Omega in heat turns Alphas into uncontrollable beasts, is that true? And Betas can also be affected if the scent is strong enough. It’s so unfortunate that, as the Crown Princess, I must have the strongest scent in the entire fire nation. I know the guards always get antsy when Mom goes into heat… even with your mating marks suppressing her scent.”

Azula glared in the direction of the door. Izumi could see her muscles tensing even under the flowing royal robe.

Sitting up, she exaggeratedly fanned herself with her hand. “Could you get someone to bring a pitcher of water at least?”

“Fine but I will be bringing it,” Azula opened the large double doors to run her errand. Zha Xi was still waiting outside. “Make sure your sister doesn’t leave her room. Alphas and Betas are prohibited from entering this floor… from entering the entire building.”

Izumi could see Zha Xi bow to the Fire Lord through the cracked entryway before it shut loudly. She tiptoed over and put her ear to the door. She could hear a rumbling growl followed by shouting. She could only assume that some poor guard had crossed her Sire’s path.

When the commotion finally died down and she was sure the halls were empty, Izumi tried appealing to her sister. “Are you still out there?”

“I’m here,” Zha Xi’s muffled voice whispered through the door, “And I know what you’re going to say so don’t even ask. You heard Father’s orders.”

“Dad said Alphas and Betas. She didn’t say anything about other Omegas.”

“No.”

“You know she’s only worried about me. What harm could another Omega do?”

“No.”

“I’m going to be stuck here _for_ _eeee-ver_. Please?”

“For the last time: NO.”

“I just want someone to help with my bath.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Zha Xi sighed. Izumi could keep this up for hours if need be. “So assume you do sneak someone in, what are you going to do? Father will find out and we’ll both get in trouble.”

“She won’t find out if I start making noises and say I want privacy.”

Zha Xi fell silent. Even across the door Izumi could tell that her sister was blushing profusely. Despite having grown up together, the Alpha had always been shy when it came to talk about relationships and on the rarer occasion, talks about sex. Still, it was less awkward than approaching Taizo with the subject.

“You know I can’t talk to mom and dad about this stuff. It’d just be weird. And Taizo’s a boy. I can’t imagine doing… _it_ … by myself for days. Won’t it be painful?” Izumi paused. She wasn’t sure if Zha Xi was still listening but there wasn’t anything else to distract her. “You’re lucky you’re an Alpha. You don’t have to deal with all this stuff. You probably won’t even go through your first rut for another few years.”

“I’m sorry…”

* * *

Azula sat on the floor with her legs crossed and her back resting against Izumi’s bedroom door. Zha Xi sat next to her, a mirror reflection of her Sire.

After fetching water for Izumi earlier that afternoon, Azula had ordered all of the guards and servants off the premises. They were instructed to make a perimeter outside the building, no one was allowed to enter. She didn’t want to take any chances after what Izumi had said earlier.

“Azula, stop this silliness and come to bed.” Ty Lee frowned at the sight of her mate and daughter. “At least leave Zha Xi out of this.”

At the sound of her name, Zha Xi nodded back to attention, “Mother, I’m here because I want to be.” No sooner had those words left her mouth did her eyelids start to drop again.

“I can’t trust the guards to be in the same building as Izumi. With those blockheads gone, someone has to guard the perimeter,” Azula justified.

Ty Lee, however, wasn’t convinced. “We have perfectly capable Omega palace guards that can stay on duty. Honestly, Azula, I don’t know why you sent them away too.”

Azula scoffed, “I can’t trust a bunch of Omegas to fight off the horde of Alphas and Betas that want to violate our daughter.”

“Did you forget that _I’m_ an Omega?” Ty Lee crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.

“… I suppose we can allow the Omega guards and servants back tomorrow.” Azula slumped under her mate’s glare. Then quickly added, “But I’m still staying.”

Ty Lee knew that tone of voice. When Azula had made up her mind about something, there was no changing it. “Take care of Zha Xi then.” She paused. “And Azula? I’m glad you care so much about our daughter. She’s lucky to have you as her Sire.”

Azula preened at the compliment. She watched her mate walk back in the direction of their bedroom then looked down at Zha Xi. The younger Alpha’s head nodded up and down as she tried to fight off sleep.

Azula poked Zha Xi gently with her elbow, “You should listen to your mother and go to bed.”

“I’m not sleeping! I’m not even tired!” Zha Xi puffed out her chest but was quickly overtaken by a yawn. “You can rely on me to protect Izumi, Father.”

Azula gave her a smile and nod of acknowledgement, not wanting to wound the young Alpha’s pride by pointing out how tired she looked.

Not even ten minutes had passed before Azula felt Zha Xi’s weight leaning against her side. The teen’s head rested on Azula’s shoulder, the only thing keeping her from toppling over.

Azula smiled at her daughter’s sleeping face before returning to the lotus position to meditate. Her family may not be in immediate danger from power crazy tyrants or usurpers anymore, but there would always be something for her to fight for and protect. Now she wouldn’t have to do it alone.


	2. Ember Island Vacation

Sand clung to the underside of Taizo’s red swim trunks as he stood up. Clutched firmly between his hands was the handle to a bucket full of wet sand. He waddled a few feet over to a large sand structure, careful to not step on anything. With all the grace of a six year old, he dumped the bucket on top of the large mound and patted it down.

Once satisfied with the structural integrity of his addition, the young architect picked up his bucket and went back to a pond of water trapped closer to shore. A gorge ran from the pond down to the ocean and the crash of every wave refilled the reservoir. Taizo carefully dunked the bucket underwater and filled it a fifth of the way full. Next, he walked a few feet over to a patch of dry sand and used a wooden shovel to gradually mix it with the water.

Taizo picked up his bucket one more time to return to his sand structure and repeat the cycle. He had been busy all morning sculpting the pyramid-like sand castle. Ever the perfectionist, he mixed his own ‘cement’ to get a consistency perfect for building the strongest fortress.

“I’m bored. Mom and Dad just lay around sunning themselves,” Taizo looked up from his work to find Zha Xi standing over him, “Can I play?”

“You don’t like building things.” Taizo didn’t bother keeping eye contact and went back to work.

Zha Xi crossed her arms, looking unpleased at the dismissal. “I didn’t ask to help build things. I want to be queen! Queen of the Sand Nation!” She hopped on top of the sand pile and flexed her biceps while proclaiming her new title.

Taizo rolled his eyes. He knew that once his sister got an idea in her head, she wouldn’t back down. “I’m building a Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom. She’s called New Azula, after Father.”

 “Then I want to be the Governor of New Azula!” Zha Xi amended her demand.

 “I built the city, I get to rule it. New Azula’s citizens aren’t scared of outside enemies.” Taizo continued his work, almost forgetting to respond to this ‘threat’. He knew that their mother wouldn’t approve of Zha Xi using firebending to solve their problems and there was little else his sister could do to get what she wanted.

At first Zha Xi frowned at the predicament then her face brighten into a proud smile. “If I can’t take New Azula by force, I’ll just make you give it to me. I’m going to siege the city just like Dad did when she took Ba Sing Se.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Taizo scoffed at his sister. He would had been be worried if the thread had come from Izumi but Zha Xi was far too kind to employ blackmail.

Without another word, Zha Xi grabbed a spare shovel and sprinted over to the pool of water Taizo had been using. She knelt down near the mouth of the puddle and piled nearby sand into a makeshift dam. Next, she spread her legs and planted her feet firmly in the sand. The firebender crouched and steadied her breathing. Closing her eyes, her arms swung in half circles before converging at the palms. Red hot fire shot out of her hands as she exhaled. Steam exploded on contact when fire met water.

Zha Xi steadied her chi and maintained the jet of flames until the steam cleared and the once pond was nothing more than a hole in the sand. She paused for a moment and looked towards the ocean, all her work would be for naught if the dam didn’t hold with the tide.

To Taizo’s disbelief, the blockade worked as intended and the tide collided uselessly against the dam.

“Now you can’t build anything,” Zha Xi stuck out her tongue to reinforce her victory, “Let me be Governor and we can make New Azula better together!”

Taizo sighed. This was starting to get annoying. All he wanted to do was finish building the city before lunch. “If I let you play, will you stop getting in the way?”

Zha Xi nodded enthusiastically.

“You can be Governor… but I’ll be head of the council and hold majority voting rights when enacting new laws.” At Zha Xi’s blank stare, Taizo clarified, “I get to make the rules.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?!”

* * *

Izumi sipped on her watermelon juice while watching her siblings from the shade of the beach umbrella. It had been a boring morning. Neither her parents nor her siblings’ activities had caught her attention… until now. She watched as Taizo built a large wall around the sand castle while Zha Xi ran around fetching more sand. The structure looked almost complete. If she joined now, she could play and not have to do any of the work.

When Azula got up from her lounge chair to fetch more drinks, Izumi saw her opportunity. She set down her cup and headed towards her siblings.

“Do you want to play with us?” Zha Xi was the first to notice her arrival.

Izumi feigned interest while walking around the sand castle. “What are you playing?”

“We’re fortifying New Azula and making her the most impenetrable city in the Fire Nation,” Taizo explained.

“Ok but I want to be governor and make the rules! Zhazha, you can be my General and Taizo can be the head architect.” Izumi stated, her confidence contradicting her Omega status.

Zha Xi shook her head. “You can’t be the governor. I’m the governor and Taizo is the council… majority… something. Taizo’s going to make the laws.”

Right on cue, Azula was returning with drinks in hand. Izumi shuffled over and stopped in her Sire’s path. “Daaaaaaaaaaddy!”  Azula cleared her throat and Izumi corrected herself. “Father. Zha Xi and Taizo are teaming up against me. We made a city and named it after you and Zha Xi says she’s the ruler but I want to try and be a ruler too!”

Azula looked down at the child in her path, her brow softened at the teary eyes that stared back at her. She shifted both glasses to one hand and placed the other on top of her daughter’s head. “Very well. I shall speak to them.”

Izumi held onto her Sire’s hand as they made their way back to her siblings. A grin of triumph was plastered on her face but it was quickly hidden behind pouty lips when Azula looked down at her again.

“Explain.” Azula’s single word put her other two children at attention.

When Taizo only lowered his head in response, Zha Xi spoke. “Taizo and me were building New Azula then Izumi came and wanted to be governor but we already said that I’d be governor.”

“Zha Xi, you’re an Alpha. You’ll have plenty of chances to lead things in your life. Let Izumi have a turn when she’s playing with you.” Azula commanded, “Your Fire Lord appoints Princess Izumi as Governor of New Azula.”

Zha Xi and Taizo both bowed and replied in unison, “Yes, Father.”

Satisfied with the mediation, Azula returned to her waiting mate.

“That’s not fair, Izumi. I spent 15 whole minutes conquering this place!” Zha Xi protested.

“You heard Father. He appointed me governor and – _Eeek_!” Izumi shrieked in surprise as the rising tide washed over her feet. The water was frigid and she had to climb behind the city’s makeshift wall to escape from the wave. “This is an attack from the Northern Water Tribe! They want to flood us out of the city. General Zha Xi. Master Architect Taizo. Will you help me?”

Zha Xi and Taizo shared a brief glance before nodding in agreement, their squabble forgotten.

“Master Architect Taizo, dig a moat in front of the city walls. General Zha Xi, I need you to hold off the attack until the moat is complete. I’ll keep a lookout for water tribe reinforcements,” Izumi directed.

With the speed and agility of junior fire nation soldiers, Zha Xi and Taizo sped off to perform their tasks. The firebending princess stood a few feet away from the sand city and dropped to one knee. She summoned her chi and planted her left foot firmly in the sand. She swung her right leg in front of her when the next wave came rolling in, unleashing a wall of flames from her kick. Fire collided with the rolling tide, splitting it down the middle and saving her siblings from getting drenched.

Zha Xi was already breathing hard by the time Taizo finished digging the moat. Her firebending had weakened in intensity but she hadn’t given up.

“The moat is finished. General Zha Xi, you can retreat now,” Izumi instructed, pleased with her siblings’ work.

The firebender looked relieved to be able to join Izumi and Taizo behind the safety of the makeshift walls. All three waited with hopeful gazes for the next wave to rush in. Just as expected, the water drained into the moat and the city was spared.

“It worked! We saved New Azula!” Izumi looked over at her siblings, expecting them to share her excitement. Instead, she found Zha Xi laying on the beach with an arm slung over her face while Taizo rested against the back of the sand castle.

Ignoring her exhausted playmates, Izumi used the sand city as a make-shift throne and sat down. “My plan worked so well, I should stay as governor.” She smirked when the only response was a slight groan. Once again, things ended up going her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN:** And this is how you become a monarch. Declare yourself as ruler, introduce some kind of “conflict”, “save” your nation from said conflict, and bribe your rivals with political positions. Izumi is going places…


	3. Zha Xi Attends a War Council Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **AN:** I’m alluding to the events of AtlA: The Promise but you really don’t need to have had read the comics to read this. I guess you can consider this spoiler-y… but if you’ve watched Legend of Korra, the ending is pretty much spoiled anyways.

Zha Xi shifted from foot to foot outside the War Chamber, her excitement making it impossible to stand still. She had sprinted over right after morning lessons but it seemed like her eagerness had made her arrive early. The war chamber had been empty when she arrived and none of the generals, council members, nor the Fire Lord were anywhere in sight.

Two Alpha elite guards stood at ease on either side of the chamber doors, their spears held in front of them. They stared blankly into the distance and scarcely paid attention to the young princess.

At first, Zha Xi tried to imitate the soldiers by standing at attention against the wall. Instead of clutching a spear, she held her stuffed tigermonkey against her chest and held perfectly still. That behavior lasted all of two minutes before she found staring straight ahead dreadfully boring.

“Sergeant, please say the field report!” Zha Xi called out to the empty hallway. The larger of the two guards glanced over in her direction and frowned, unamused by the racket.

Zha Xi moved the plushy’s arm in the form of a salute then pursed her lips, only moving the corner of her mouth to speak, “The palace is safe, Princess. We’re waiting for the Fire Lord to get here.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. For a reward, you can have one piece of candy from the royal treasure room,” Zha Xi replied in her own voice. She bent the plushy in a bow and grinned. Pretending to be the leader of the Fire Nation army was one of her favorite pastimes and her army of plushies made the best soldiers.

A huffing noise caught Zha Xi’s attention. She glanced in the direction that the sound had come from and found herself staring eye to eye with the same guard that frowned at her earlier. Her inner Alpha told her to fortify her chi and remind the guard of his role. She walked up to the guard, her head barely reaching his waist, and barred her teeth while maintaining eye contact. The guard rolled his eyes at the pup’s display of dominance but otherwise stayed motionless.

Zha Xi could feel the guard’s chi flex and nearly swallow hers. Her lips remained pulled back in a snarl and a high-pitched growl rumbled from her throat. At first her voice cracked, the growl coming out more as a squeak, making the guards chuckled at the Princess’ performance. Undeterred, she tried again. This time she managed to hold the low rumble in her throat for almost a minute until the guards snapped to attention and their chi weaned.

Her annoyance forgotten, Zha Xi grinned up at the soldiers. Her smile reached ear to ear as she basked in the smugness of satisfying her Alpha instincts. That was until she felt a hand placed on top of her head.

“Princess Zha Xi, it is time,” The Fire Lord’s voice came from behind her.

Zha Xi whirled around to face her Sire, “Yes, Father.” The disappointment that she had felt after realizing that the soldiers heeded for the Fire Lord and not her was replaced by excitement. Azula had promised for weeks to bring her to a War Council meeting and this was finally it.

Zha Xi waited for Azula to walk past the guards before following at her heels. Then Azula stopped so abruptly that the princess nearly ran into the older Alpha’s legs.

“The War Chamber is no place for toys. Leave Sergeant Tigermonkey outside if you wish to join us,” Azula instructed, not ashamed of using the plushy’s make-believe rank in public. Without casting a glance back at her pup, the Fire Lord disappeared through the curtains leading into the War Chamber.

Zha Xi pouted and hugged her stuffed tigermonkey tighter. The royal chambers were too far away for her to drop off the toy and make it back in time but she didn’t want to leave the toy outside where anyone, especially Izumi, could walk off with it either.

She looked around the empty hallway, trying to spot any hiding places. The entire wing was barren except for more meeting rooms and… guards! Who better to guard her royal treasure than a palace guard?

“Sergeant, you have to guard the war chamber until I come back. These two soldiers will help you on your mission,” Zha Xi pranced over to the guard from earlier. She stood on her tiptoes while gripping the plushy tightly and squeezed the toy between the Alpha’s arm and chest. She stepped back once she was sure that the tigermonkey was secure and bowed at the plushy. With a last glance at the guard’s mortified expression, she followed the rest of the arriving council into the war chamber.

* * *

Fire Lord Azula sat on her throne behind a wall of flames. She watched as her most senior advisors paraded in and took their spots around the war table. A large map of the Earth Kingdom was spread in front of them with green and red markers scattered over cities and towns, the green markers far outnumbered the red tents and pins.

War Council meetings had been one of her favorite events growing up. Ozai had frequently sent her on covert operations or had tasked her with leading military campaigns. The conquest of Ba Sing Se was her most glorious conquest and even now, red tent-shaped markers littered the parameter of the city.

But that all changed when her foolish brother had ran away and gave up his title. Ozai started limiting her missions to mostly non-critical tasks before locking her up in the palace all together. Now that she had become Fire Lord, she was even more confined to the palace.

It had been almost four years since Avatar Aang burst into the royal chambers and demanded the withdrawal of Fire Nation troops from foreign soil. Even since that day, the ‘War Council’ had become nothing more than a ‘tactical retreat exercise’ and Azula dreaded these meetings even more than listening to petitions. This had become a badge of weakness and it angered her to see all of her work being undone. Still, her mate had made her promise to follow through with the Harmony Restoration Movement to separate the nations and she was an Alpha of her word.

Princess Zha Xi was the last to enter before the booming sound of the shuttering double doors echoed around the chamber. Azula watched as the princess paraded to the front of the table and took a seat. The pup placed her arms above the table top and tried to prop herself up but, after some uncomfortable squirming, decided to stand to stay at eye level with the other attendees.

“Fire Lord,” Azula’s attention switched to Councilman Kuzon, “Our people have almost entirely retreated from Tachi Dai. As promised, all colonists and their children were granted fire nation citizenship.” As he spoke, the councilman took the red pins over the city of Tachi Dai and moved them back to the Fire Nation islands. “We have begun the same process in Yu Dao… but the civilians there have not responded well. Yu Dao is our oldest colony in the Earth Kingdom lands, established through integration rather than conquest. We have moved the troops stationed at Tachi Dai to Yu Dao to help contain the riots but they are getting increasingly violent.”

“We cannot send more troops to Yu Dao, Fire Lord.” General Jia advised, “The avatar has been spotted intervening at one of such riots. He has questioned our decision to send in more troops when we have agreed to remove Fire Nation military presence from the Earth Kingdom. I suggest we expedite the plan to exit Yu Dao since we cannot guarantee the safety of our existing forces with the few soldiers we do have.”

General Zhao banged his fist on the wooden table, toppling over several red and green pins in the process. “I say we secure the city by force! Fire Lord Ozai and Fire Lord Azulon would never have let their troops get threatened by mere civilians!”

“Silence!” Azula’s growl pierced through the chatter that followed General Zhao’s outburst. The curtain of flames spiked in intensity to match her distaste. “You will do well to remember of your place, Zhao. I am Fire Lord now and you are nothing more than the quill pusher taking inventory of our withdrawal.”

“My apologies, Fire Lord,” General Zhao mumbled out through gritted teeth.

Although Azula had a strong dislike for General Zhao, and would be more than happy to be rid of him, he was still well respected by many of the Fire Nation’s troops. Following the death of Fire Lord Ozai, she had demoted him from General only to reinstate his rank with the arrival of the Avatar. His new task was to lead the withdrawal of Fire Nation troops from the previously conquered Earth Kingdom lands. It was a humiliating task that befit Azula’s opinion of his worth.

From the corner of her eye, Azula watched as Zha Xi picked up the pins that had gotten knocked over. She first placed the red pins with the other red pins then stopped and stared at the remaining green pins in her palm.

“Father, why do the green and red pins had to be apart? Isn’t Yu Dao everyone’s home?” Zha Xi placed the remaining green pins in the cluster of red ones before shoving all of the civilian markers together.

General Zhao’s face turned as red as his shoulder pads. “Those are _not_ toys! Every marker is placed in a precise location for an important reason. This is not one of your children’s games!”

Zha Xi puffed out her cheeks at the angry general. If it had been any other adult in the Fire Lord’s council, she would have conceded but she had heard her Sire refer to Zhao as a buffoon too many times to be intimidated by him.

“Princess Zha Xi is right,” Azula stated neutrally. She waited a few minutes for the hushed whispers of the council to die done before continuing, “The citizens of Yu Dao have lived there before the Hundred Years War. Many fire nation colonists have formed business and family ties with the Earth Kingdom citizens. It wouldn’t be right for us to force them out of their homes and away from their families. This is a fact that my mate will agree with, I’m sure. We only need to convince the Avatar.”

“How do you expect our troops to defend themselves if we leave things as they are?” General Zhao asked.

“Without the threat of deportation for their loved ones, the residents will be more at ease and stop seeing us as a threat. I suppose I could also remove my appointed governor as a sign of good faith for the Avatar,” Azula explained. “Perhaps I should replace you with Princess Zha Xi. Her political and military tact seem to go well over your intellect.” The last note she added as a dig to General Zhao.

If General Zhao’s face hadn’t already been red from anger, it was now. In spite of the snarl on his face, he bowed to the Fire Lord and sat back down.

Next to him, Princess Zha Xi stood with a large grin. The pup’s interest in military and political tactics reminded Azula of her own youth, however, the young Alpha’s empathy certainly came from Ty Lee. Azula’s heart melted under the princess’ expectant gaze and she couldn’t help but return the smile with pride shining in her eyes.


End file.
